There were two monasteries: one monastery was in Lhasa, in the capital of Tibet, and one of its branches was deep in the faraway mountains. The lama who was in charge of the monastery was getting old, and he wanted somebody to be sent from the chief monastery to be his successor. He sent a message.

A lama went there – it was a few weeks' journey by foot. He told the chief, “Our master is very sick, old, and there is every possibility that he will not survive for long. Before his death, he wants you to send another monk, well trained, to take charge of the monastery.”

The chief said, “Tomorrow morning you take them all.”

The young man said, “Take them all? I have come only to take one. What do you mean, take them all?”

He said, “You don't understand. I will send one hundred monks.”

“But,” the young man said, “this is too much. What are we going to do? We are poor and in those parts, the monastery is poor. One hundred monks will be a burden to us, and I have come here to ask only for one.”

The chief said, “Don't be worried, only one will reach. I will send one hundred, but ninety-nine will be lost on the way. You will be fortunate even if one reaches.”

He said, “Strange…”

On the next day, a long procession started, one hundred monks, and they had to go across the country. Everybody had his house somewhere on the way and people started dispersing… “I will be coming. Just a few days with my parents… I have not been there for years.” Within just a week there were only ten people.

The young man said, “The old chief was perhaps right. Let us see what happens to these ten people.

Just as they entered a town, a few monks came and said that their chief had died: “So it will be very kind of you – you are ten, you can afford to give one lama to us as a chief – and we are ready to do everything, whatever you want.” Now everybody was ready to become the chief. Finally they decided upon one person and he was left behind.

In another city, the king's men came and they said, “Wait; we need three monks because the king's daughter is being married and we need three priests. That is our tradition. So either you come willingly, or we will take you unwillingly.”

Three men disappeared; only six were left. And in this way they went on disappearing.

Finally only two persons were left.

And as they were coming closer to the monastery… it was evening and a young woman met them on the road. She said, “You are such compassionate people. I live here in the mountains – my house is just there. My father is a hunter, my mother has died. And my father has gone, and he promised to return today but he has not returned. And I am very much afraid to remain alone in the night… just one monk, just for one night.”

Both of them wanted to stay! The young woman was so beautiful that it was a great struggle. The young man who had come as a messenger had seen those one hundred people disappearing, and now finally… Finally they said to the woman, “You can choose either one, because otherwise there is going to be unnecessary fighting. And we Buddhist monks are not supposed to fight.

She chose the youngest, the most beautiful monk, and she disappeared into her house. The other monk said to the young man, “Now come on. That man is not going to come back; forget all about him.”

The young man said, “But now, you remain strong – the monastery is very close.”

And just before the monastery, in the last village, an atheist challenged the monk: “There is no soul, no God. This is all fiction, this is just to exploit people. I challenge you to a public debate.”

The young man said, “Don't get into this public debate, because I don't know how long it will last.

And my chief must be waiting – perhaps he may have already died.”

The monk said. “This will be a defeat, a defeat of Buddhism. Unless I defeat this man, I cannot leave this place. The public debate will happen, so inform the whole village.”

The young man said, “This is too much! Because your master said at least one would reach, but it seems that only I will reach.”

He said, “You get lost. I am a logician, and I cannot tolerate this kind of challenge. It will take months.

We are going to discuss everything in detail because I know, I have heard about this man. He is also a very intellectual, philosophical man. You can go, and if I succeed in the debate I will come. If I am defeated, then I will have to become his follower; then don't wait for me.”

He said, “This is too much.”

He reached the monastery. The old man was waiting, He said, “You have come? How many had started?”

He said, “One hundred and one, including me.”

The old man said, “That's perfectly good. At least you have come back. You be my successor; nobody out of those hundred is going to come now.”

And the master knew it, that only one would reach.

It is an old proverb in Tibet that hundreds go but rarely a single individual reaches – that too, rarely.

To the commenter who wants proof before he gets off his couch…

Something is wrong with your feet that you cannot make the journey unless you can walk in another man's footsteps?

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Your feet are so weak from inactivity that not only can you not complete the journey of a thousand miles, you cannot even complete a journey of a single step?

Your feet are so different than my feet? Perhaps, but this is because my feet get exercise and your feet are sedentary.

My feet have long been on the journey and they are well used to the pain of walking my own way, forging a path so that others may follow far behind.

If you cannot begin a journey without walking in my steps, perhaps you would like to wear my old sweaty socks on your journey as well?

You ask to see proof that B&D works. Did you not see the proof in front of your face?

Your eyes have long been blind to reality from staring at computer porn fantasy world, when reality looks at you in the face you cannot see it.

Your eyes are so blind that they cannot see the 30,000 organic comments on Bold & Determined.

Or perhaps it is not only your feet and eyes that are broken, maybe your brain is atrophied from lack of use.

Are you so foolish to think that anyone will give you the exact path and you have to do no work, all you have to do is follow the footsteps?

Your feet are broken? They are lazy to walk.

Your eyes are blind? They are opened to fantasy and closed to reality.

Your brain is so very stupid? It has never been used.

Proof of Greatness

Every single day I receive a comment thanking me for the great work on B&D that has changed the lives of untold thousands of men.

Wow.
Incredible image. And very true.
I’ve been a B&D reader since fall ’13. As with everyone here who takes the time to comment, I re-visit this website more than any other.
I happily get lost in the web on every visit.

To be fair, most people who have been inspired by Vic and gone on to do great things would be too busy to be leaving comments.

Take what you need from B&D, and then go do your shit.

On a side-note, Vic, please give Chris/Badmin a handsome bonus. The guys at BADNET is the perfect example of a service that go above and beyond. Even though my blog was set up 1 year ago, they still help me out if I email them any technical issues I’m facing.

The first two or three blogs I started, all failed.

My latest blog, well, brings me more than enough revenue in one day to “cover hosting costs”.

Vic, sometimes your writing takes on a lyrical quality all of its own, putting the artistry in blog artist. Really takes your posts to another level and helps to communicate your ideas through more than words alone.

My question is, you’ve mentioned before how editing is where the magic happens, so how do you edit and how di you learn to edit?

People all assume that they want something until they have to effort or when it gets hard. Most people talk but never walk. Great article! Looking forward to the upcoming articles. The previous were great as well. I’ll have to check out Osho his books. Any recommendations?

B&D has whirlwinded my life into a state of elements.
FIRE- HOWL AND BURN
WATER- LIKE THE MIND
EARTH- RESPECT YOUR LAND
WIND- KEEP MOVING
You saved my life Vic, I was a heartbroken bag of estrogen, until I found your blog. I owe you my undivided effort every day. Vic I have no questions, all of the answers are within. BUT I WOULD LOVE TO SEE “30 THINGS EVERY BODYBUILDER SHOULD DO”

Vic, I have conversations with myself every conscious moment. Asking myself “WHAT DO I DO RIGHT NOW TO BECOME BETTER?” “WHAT IS TO COME?” And without a doubt, every time, the window of opportunity becomes smaller, and smaller, and smaller. WHEN I READ B&D, you REFRESH the FOG in my brain. It is humorous to me, how when I ask myself a question, you blog the answer to my question. You literally GIVE answers.

I have been a quiet follower of you, reading every single blog post, coming back every day to see if there’s a new one. I’ve never commented, until today. Today I’ve realized new information. DONT LOSE THE MOMENT. I’ve known the answers, and haven’t applied the steps. Driven myself crazy, loitering in the line of fire. Telling myself “GET OUT OF THE WAY, OR GRAB A WEAPON AND JOIN” today I grabbed that weapon. I grabbed my nuts, and decided to no longer be a handout.

Vic, you have forever changed my way of thinking. Your words sink in to my brain like a foot in sand. I thank you. ONE DAY I WILL MEET YOU. (“Ha Ha”), IT WILL HAPPEN. This life I live will lead to longevity.
This life I live will reap benefits.
This life I live will seek progress.
As you are the king on the throne at the mountain top, I am but a muddled soldier with a map and a bag of beans, searching for answers.

Even when you present the truth to people and it’s right there in front of them, some people will still ask you questions like ones below. [It’s mind boggling.]

“what should I do?”

or

here is “better” one…

“I want to be successful like you, how do I do it?”

But hey… as long as they click and somehow help your sales.

You can present them knowledge and truth. You can drag a horse to the lake for water but it’s up to the horse to drink the water.

The archives here are good start. My personal favorites are the bodybuilding articles.

“Will you show us the most successful websites of Bold and Determined Readers? People who produced great content and are now making a living from their websites? ”

John Doe Bodybuilding.

Once in a while, when you go down the bold and determined comments, there are some insightful commenters as well.

when a content is so good, you can’t help but to advertise (share) it with other people. I frequent a website sometimes called wall street playboys, very solid content.

All those good, helpful websites but if you don’t take actions, then what exactly are you doing?

Do you want to be rich? Results of having a lot of cash and live comfortably? Well if you salivate for the results, you better salivate more for the journey because if you don’t have patience and obsession for the journey then forget about the results. The journey to the results have to be just as fulfilling as the results. Better yet, you better enjoy the journey more if you seek the results. Success ain’t going to come overnight.

Most of the questions that are asked can be answered by the person asking the questions itself. They know it in gut instinct. They just want “confirmation”.

Motivation? .. pffftt….. it comes down to you either want it or not. Simple. No excuses. You want it? Or you don’t. If you are not successful then that means you never wanted success. No if buts ands….

If you are ‘successful’ then that means you wanted it and you made it and you took it. If you are not ‘successful’ then that means you never wanted it. No ifs buts and ands…

When I was a strength coach at the high school level I always told my kids that I would be proud five years down the road if only one followed me to a life long journey of strength training. Of all those kids only one has stayed in touch with me and kept training. Truth be told, I haven’t heard from him in a while. Even if “Pros” were your only “big” success story, that is %100 more success than most coaches get to claim, if they speak the truth. Your success as a leader is true.

Do it one step at a time. If on a given day you can only take one step, take that step. And the next one. And the next one after that. Victor says “at first, the sunlight will hurt your eyes.” Become friends with the pain of discomfort. As Machiavelli once put it, “develop the strength to act boldy, not to edure more suffering”.

Greetings victor pride,
Another great article in the books. I think many of us become conditioned to accept our lot in life and never begin the journey. Its easier to do nothing than to do something. Nothing is safe, something is scary. If we embrace something then our rewards will be plenty but if we embrace nothing then we reap what we have sown. Have a good day. Tim. New jersey representing.

“That’s perfectly good. At least you have come back. You be my successor; nobody out of those hundred is going to come now.”

That’s the reason why I don’t need followers or subscribers because I know only one, if not a few will get it.

What I see from this inspirational proverb is: the young man was being sent on the journey to become a leader, and also to see for himself that no matter how many monks (educated men) out there: 99% of them have only the “title”, and none of them have what it takes to walk the journey of thousand long miles—though they pretend to.

Just like you made an example with the movie Cast Away starring Tom hanks on that video on youtube.

Ever since, everything and everyone I see is just an illusion, I have created a mental island and I’m working my way up that crossroad—it’s my journey of thousand long miles and I’m proud to be on it.

“Something is wrong with your feet that you cannot make the journey unless you can walk in another man’s footsteps.”

I don’t have to be white, an American, or have degree to see that your teachings are golden and legit.

I don’t even need to verify your work because no man can fake realism, and I believe that only the real will recognize the realist!